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This post is sponsored by Javy Coffee. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
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‘Tis the season for PUMPKIN! Oh gosh I love pumpkin! Well, I do love it, but I feel I don’t really show that I love it! Pumpkin is an underrated ingredient for me, and I do tend to only eat it when it’s pumpkin season. But if you’ve got a craving for pumpkin, then I’ve got lots of other pumpkin recipes! From Pumpkin Puree Stove-top Oats to a Skillet Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie, pumpkin sure is a versatile and fun squash to work with! I believe it is my favorite! Confession time: I’ve never made a pumpkin pie though! That needs to be in the works!
So why am I sharing these pumpkin spice latte cupcakes today? If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you know that desserts have been an area that I’ve been lacking in. I never really got into desserts until probably this year, or the end of last year! I thought desserts were meant for special occasions, and I always used the excuse that I was too tired after cooking dinner to make desserts. PSA: The secret is to make your dessert in the afternoon before your entree!
While we’re in pumpkin mode and while it was Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought it would be amazing to bring the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte to my home, but to eat it! Last week, I shared how to make the perfect Starbucks Cafe Mocha replica on the blog! I’ve also recently shared how to make the perfect Starbucks Mocha Chocolate Syrup recipe, and Coffee Chocolate Pancakes, all inspired by the Starbucks mocha drink! The Cafe Mocha recipe is my all-time favorite coffee beverage to make at home, and in fact as I’m writing this I’m sipping on that same mocha! The mocha is my favorite drink to order at Starbucks, but when it’s pumpkin spice latte season, I don’t want to miss out! I’d say it’s a close second or third to the mocha!
Javy Coffee is a company that specializes in liquid coffee concentrate. It’s an instant coffee but in liquid form! They were kind enough to reach out to me to use it in my mocha-inspired recipes, and I had a lot of fun! I have to say that it’s some strong stuff, but easily adjustable based on what you need! They’ve recently released new flavors, and offered for me to try one out. I thought pumpkin spice would be perfect for the season!
I didn’t feel like making another drink with the instant coffee, but I do love to cook with coffee (or at least, I’ve recently learned that I do!). What’s fun and festive? Cupcakes! I’ve only made cupcakes once before and it was almost two years ago, but I’m always up for a good challenge! As you can see, this was a successful mission! Woohoo! I’m beyond proud of these cupcakes, and I’m sure you’re going to love them as much as I did! Whatever the occasion, or if you’re just in the mood to bake some cupcakes, then give these a shot! Trust me - they’ll disappear really quickly! Let’s get baking!
Tools Needed
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
We’ll go over what we’ll need for the cupcakes themselves, the homemade pumpkin spice (if using), and the pumpkin spice latte whipped cream frosting. Remember, the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD with all ingredient quantities is at the bottom of this post! You can easily scale this recipe to make as many cupcakes as desired!
For the pumpkin spice, you can make it yourself or buy it from the store. I’ll be making my Perfect DIY Pumpkin Spice for these cupcakes, so if you want more details on it, be sure to check out the full recipe! The whipped cream is also a variation of my classic Homemade Whipped Cream, so I recommend you check out the full recipe for details to ensure that you have the perfect whipped cream, and what to do with leftovers!
For the Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
- Flour: I’m using all purpose flour here. This is the base, and it’ll make for a perfectly soft, fluffy and moist cupcake batter!
- Vanilla extract: I think it’s a must! There’s some great flavor that comes out of a little bit of vanilla extract!
- Pumpkin puree: I’m using canned pumpkin puree here. You could use puree from a fresh pumpkin if desired, as I show how to make here. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling because that’s already sweetened! Look for a label that says “Pure Pumpkin” and you’re good!
- Baking soda & baking powder: A combination of these ingredients helps the cupcake batter to rise and form perfectly shaped cupcakes!
- Eggs: Ideally at room temperature.
- Sweeteners: I’m using a combination of regular white sugar and brown sugar.
- Vegetable oil: You could use butter if you want.
- Cinnamon: A little extra touch for that pumpkin spice coziness!
- Pumpkin spice: Store bought or homemade. See below for homemade.
For the Homemade Pumpkin Spice
For the Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Madagascar vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- Javy Pumpkin Spice Instant Coffee
If you don’t have the Javy Pumpkin Spice instant coffee, then you can still make this Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream! Simply use powdered instant coffee or espresso powder and add 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice. Adjust according to the amount of pumpkin spice according to your preference.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
For the Pumpkin Spice
To make the pumpkin spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- In a bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Whisk well.
- In another bowl, add eggs, oil, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. For an extra coffee punch, add 1-2 tsp of the Javy Pumpkin Spice coffee as well. Whisk until the sugars have combined with the liquid.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to combine. Be careful not to over whisk the batter.
- Line the cupcake sheets with the cupcake paper and add the batter and fill the slots to 75% capacity.
- Transfer the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Take your baking tray out of the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool down. Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire rack to allow them to cool down completely.
- Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag and apply the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Design however you'd like!
- Put some pumpkin spice into a sieve and tap over the cupcakes to garnish.
For the Homemade Whipped Cream
Hand whisked method
- Begin by adding your whipping cream in a large mixing bowl and start whisking with a large whisk.
- Keep whisking and continue until the cream starts to thicken. Your arms may try to tire at this point
- Add sweetener of choice, vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
Hand mixer/Stand mixer method
- Pour the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking with the whisk attachment at medium speed. Gradually increase the speed of the whisk until the cream starts to thicken.
- Add sweetener of choice and vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
how much batter to put in the baking tray for each portion?▼
I’ve found that to get your cupcakes to rise perfectly and have that awesome cupcake shape, you’ll up want to fill up the molds with batter up to 75% of the way up. That way, there’s enough space for your batter to rise and so that you don’t have them too small or overflowing in the mold!
Cupcakes vs Muffins? What’s the Difference?▼
Muffins are usually dryer and denser. A cupcake on the other hand is light, usually small (but sometimes large!), and has a fun frosting! In this recipe, we’re using the pumpkin spice latte whipped cream, a fun twist on regular whipped cream!
Can I Add Coffee in the Batter For These Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes?▼
You may have noticed that there was no instant coffee added to the cupcake batter. As mentioned earlier, the Javy liquid coffee concentrate is STRONG! To be honest with you, I actually forgot to add it in the batter! But when I was tasting the cupcakes, I really found not only a strong caffeine flavor, but a strong pumpkin spice flavor from the whipped cream alone. I feel that if you were to add the pumpkin spice instant coffee in the batter, it would overpower the cakiness of the cupcakes themselves
Tips for the Most Delightful Cupcakes!
Let’s review a few things to keep in mind to ensure your cupcakes turn out perfectly and they taste their best!
- You don’t have to over-whisk when combining the wet ingredients with the dry. Simply mix until you have a smooth texture, but some lumps are fine.
- Fill the cupcake molds leaving a 25% gap at the top so that your cupcake batter doesn’t overflow in the oven. Overfilling will also cause the cupcakes to not bake evenly, and they may be under-cooked in the oven.
- Tap the baking sheet to ensure you have the batter evenly distributed and there are no air pockets in the molds.
- Your cupcakes have finished baking when you put in a wooden skewer or a knife down the middle of your cupcake, and it comes out clean.
- Allow your cupcakes to completely cool down. First, let them cool down in the molds, and then let them completely cool onto a wire rack. You must exercise some patience before adding your whipped cream or else it will melt when you add the whipped cream.
- Choose your favorite tip for your piping bag so you can have fun with the design and be creative!
- Lick some whipped cream while applying on the cupcakes because it’s so tasty on its own:)
How to Store Cupcakes▼
Store your fall-flavored cupcakes in an airtight container or what I did… a cookie jar! Be sure to place your cupcakes upright and keep the container straight so that your little cupcakes don’t fall over and get ruined! You can store cupcakes with the whipped cream frosting already topped.
Can I Freeze These Pumpkin Cupcakes?▼
Sure, but if you want to freeze them, don’t put the frosting on yet. Make fresh frosting when you’re ready to serve! You’ll want to place your cupcakes upright in a freezer-safe bag or in an airtight container.
To defrost your cupcakes, simply place them in the fridge and let them defrost naturally, or else they’ll dry out. However, keep in mind that once frozen and defrosted, the cupcakes won’t be as moist and fresh as when you had originally baked them. In the freezer, crystallization occurs. When you defrost it, you will naturally lose some of that moisture as a result of condensation.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You May Like!
- Skillet Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Protein Packed Edible Pumpkin Cookie Dough
- Protein S’mores Dessert Pizza
- Pumpkin Puree Stove-top Oats
- Healthy & Easy Protein Pumpkin Oatmeal
Whipped Cream, Not Cream Cheese Frosting
Nearly every pumpkin cupcake you will find is finished with cream cheese frosting. There is none here, and that is the single biggest difference between these and the rest. The topping is 35% heavy cream whipped with a tablespoon of powdered sugar, a teaspoon and a half of Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean paste and coffee added gradually to taste. Confectioner's sugar is the same thing as powdered sugar if that is the name on your bag. It is a lighter finish and it lets the pumpkin through instead of burying it under something sweet and tangy.
Whip it to soft peaks, not stiff peaks. The recipe is specific about this and it is worth respecting: lift the whisk out and the peak should form and then flop over on itself. Push on to stiff peaks and you are most of the way to butter, and the piped swirl will look dry rather than glossy. There is also no gelatin or stabilizer in it, which is why you want to pipe it reasonably close to serving. Any cupcakes you have already frosted need to go in the refrigerator; unfrosted cupcakes are happy in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.
The coffee is Javy coffee concentrate, added a little at a time until it tastes the way you want. If you do not have it, instant coffee dissolved in the smallest amount of water works, and espresso powder works too but is stronger so use less. Pipe with a pastry bag, then put a little of the homemade pumpkin spice into a sieve and tap it over the top. If you want to push it further, a drizzle of caramel sauce over the finished swirl turns them properly into a coffee-shop dessert.
The Batter, the Crumb and the Numbers
This is a two bowl batter and the order matters more than the technique. Dry ingredients first, in a large bowl: one cup of all purpose flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, half a teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of the pumpkin spice. In a separate bowl go the eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, both sugars and the vanilla, whisked until the sugars have dissolved into the liquid. Then the wet goes into the dry.
At that point, stop as soon as it comes together. Over-whisking is the one thing that will ruin these, because working the flour mixture develops gluten and gluten is the enemy of a tender crumb in anything this soft. A few streaks are fine. Note the sugars too: a quarter cup of granulated sugar and half a cup of brown sugar, and it is the brown sugar doing most of the work to keep pumpkin cupcakes moist rather than dry.
Fill the cupcake liners to about 75% capacity, not to the brim, and bake at 350 F on the middle rack for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool them in the pan briefly and then move the baked cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely, because frosting a warm cupcake with unstabilized whipped cream will melt it straight off. Total time is around forty minutes for twelve.
One note on the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipe card: it is an estimate, calculated per cupcake across a batch of twelve. It covers calories, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, protein, sodium and sugar. It does not break out cholesterol, potassium, calcium or vitamin C, so if you track those you will want to run the ingredients through your own calculator.
If you liked this recipe please let me know in the comments. Tag your post on social media using #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. If you’ve tried out Javy coffee concentrate for this syrup, be sure to tag #drinkjavy in your posts too! Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Cozy, spiced, and irresistibly delicious, these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes are easy to make and perfect for fall. A crowd-pleasing treat the whole family will love.
Stovetop
5.0 · 1 rating
20 min
Prep
19 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
49 min
Total
12
cupcakes
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the cupcakes
- (125 g) all purpose flourShop →
- (1 g) baking sodaShop →
- (3 g) baking powderShop →
- (227 g) pumpkin puree · make your own
- (110 g) brown sugarShop →
- (50 g) sugarShop →
- (5 ml) vanilla extractShop →
- (1 g) cinnamonShop →
- (1 g) saltShop →
- (120 ml) vegetable oilShop →
- eggs · make your own
- (3 g) pumpkin spice (see below) · make your ownShop →
For the homemade pumpkin spice
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C)
- 2
In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Whisk well.
In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Whisk well.
- 3
In another bowl, add eggs, oil, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. For an extra coffee punch, add 1–2 tsp of Javy Pumpkin Spice coffee as well. Whisk until the sugars have combined with the liquid.
In another bowl, add eggs, oil, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. For an extra coffee punch, add 1–2 tsp of Javy Pumpkin Spice coffee as well. Whisk until the sugars have combined with the liquid.
- 4
Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to combine. Be careful not to over whisk the batter.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to combine. Be careful not to over whisk the batter.
- 5
Line the cupcake tins with the cupcake paper and add the batter and fill the slots to 75% capacity.
Line the cupcake tins with the cupcake paper and add the batter and fill the slots to 75% capacity.
- 6
Transfer the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- 7
Take your baking sheet out of the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool down. Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire rack to allow them to cool down completely.
Take your baking sheet out of the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool down. Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire rack to allow them to cool down completely.
- 8
Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag and apply the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Design however you'd like!
Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag and apply the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Design however you'd like!
- 9
Put some pumpkin spice into a sieve and tap over the cupcakes to garnish.
Put some pumpkin spice into a sieve and tap over the cupcakes to garnish.
For the homemade pumpkin spice
- 1
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the pumpkin spice whipped cream
- 1
Hand whisked method
Hand whisked method
- 2
Begin by adding your whipping cream in a large mixing bowl and start whisking with a large whisk.
Begin by adding your whipping cream in a large mixing bowl and start whisking with a large whisk.
- 3
Keep whisking and continue until the cream starts to thicken. Your arms may try to tire at this point.
Keep whisking and continue until the cream starts to thicken. Your arms may try to tire at this point.
- 4
Add sweetener of choice, vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
Add sweetener of choice, vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
- 5
Hand mixer/Stand mixer method
Hand mixer/Stand mixer method
- 6
Pour the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking with the whisk attachment at medium speed. Gradually increase the speed of the whisk until the cream starts to thicken.
Pour the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking with the whisk attachment at medium speed. Gradually increase the speed of the whisk until the cream starts to thicken.
- 7
Add sweetener of choice and vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
Add sweetener of choice and vanilla and continue whisking until you observe soft peaks. Gradually add the instant coffee until you have the desired taste. Lifting the whipped cream with the whisk should result in peaks that eventually points down.
Nutrition per cupcake
226
Calories
3g
Protein
23g
Carbs
14g
Fat
1g
Fiber
14g
Sugar
115mg
Sodium
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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